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Help Upgrading Please

phillpower2

Posted 25 September 2012 - 02:38 PM

phillpower2

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Must have been a gremlin as it is now showing the same price as before just so you are aware it is not identical to the one at Newegg, it is only semi-modular and it is not Bronze certified, it is however a very good purchase for that price http://www.amazon.co...48597345&sr=1-2 the Fatality version http://www.amazon.co...pd_sim_sbs_pc_1 the Kentec PSU I would not touch with a lightening rod, one thing more dangerous than using a defective/underpowered PSU is using one that you have never heard of http://www.10stripe....d/psu/brand.php glad I eventually got the CPU cooler right

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Zolton33

Posted 25 September 2012 - 03:37 PM

Zolton33

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I'm not trying to be overly picky its just that i know my system runs real cool with all my fans as exhaust with the cpu fan blowing at the side of my case. And yeah i think you were clicking onto the right one when i look closer now though the company selling that psu is a crappy one. They are charging 80 bucks shipping and handling so yeah the price is wrong lol http://www.amazon.co...8&condition=new

Now i just need to find a good cheap psu that will meet my needs and maybe a few upgrades. i would love to keep the over all total for both as low as possible.

Zolton33

Posted 25 September 2012 - 04:25 PM

I'm going to put in a new more powerful psu later on when i upgrade my gpu. So would like to keep it well below $50 for right now. And my current system even if i upgrade later to a 1155 board and cpu they will use less power then my current rig.

http://extreme.outer...n.com/PSUEngine shows that i would be using 255w total with an i5 cpu (thats the furthest i plan to upgrade to for a few years) with my current setup at 282w (that is what my pc needs roughly right now) so i'll actually use a lot less power when i upgrade. So i do not need a huge psu (or an expensive one just one to serve my needs for a few months or so). just one to get me by through my current setup and upgrades (after this i plan to upgrade with an 1155 board and an 1155 cpu and ddr3 ram then a better psu then finally a better gpu). but later on when i prepare to get a high end gpu i'll upgrade my psu to a more beefier one. So with this in mind what would you recommend as the best and cheapest route?

phillpower2

Posted 26 September 2012 - 02:12 AM

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Cooler Master is a good brand and one that you can trust, please note that the two that you have mentioned above only have a 70% output efficiency rating and so even the 500W would should be replaced before any further upgrades are added, the cost of the recommended 80% output efficiency rated PSUs is at present putting them beyond the budget that you are trying to keep to I`m afraid.

Zolton33

Posted 26 September 2012 - 06:28 AM

Zolton33

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Newegg has it at 295w without being able to select that i have 4 led case fans (3 80mm and one 120mm). A 500w psu at 75% is 375w. 70% is 350w. So at 70% a 500w and above should handle my pc right? Here are a few:

I would love to keep it cheap as possible with it in mind that this new psu won't be powering my system forever. I plan to get a newer much more powerful and reliable one after replacing my cpu and mobo and ram probably January first or February first at the latest so it would just need to last and serve me until around March 15 or so to allow time for delivery (that is if i get my mobo cpu and ram on or by Feb 1st). i was thinking in Jan getting a mobo and ram (about $150 to spend on them then might replace my case fans then as well) and Feb getting the cpu (about $150 cpu thinking an i3 or if the prices come down with the new chipset out an i5) and then in March replacing my psu (for one with a price tag closer to $150 max so i can get one that is a lot better and will last a lot longer) then give it a month or 2 then replace my current gpu.

So this psu i am buying now would only need to last at a maximum of 6 months. And handle these old components and the newer bought ones until then. With that road map in mind what would you suggest? The newer ram mobo and cpu would raise my psu usage to 300w roughly. But i am seriously considering buying those new components minus the newer gpu (will not be buying it until around June so i will be using my old gpu in the new components until then) but not installing them until i get the better psu. So any thoughts and suggestions on a psu that would serve my needs until then?

phillpower2

Posted 27 September 2012 - 04:05 AM

I'm kind of leery when it comes to used products as you have no clue how rough the previous owner was with it.

It does have an 80%+ output efficiency rating though

Back in my reply #16 I provided some guidance and a link to help you choose a good quality PSU, here is another link http://forum.pcmech....ide-inside.html note the absence of the Cool Power brand from both sites, not a good sign so I suggest you steer clear.

Zolton33

Posted 27 September 2012 - 08:01 AM

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Refurbished does not bother me as much as a used component. Why? Because when it was sent back to the manufacturer many times they replace all the internal components making it like new. There is a difference between used and refurbished. It is a small one but its there. And like i said before i only need it to last about 6 months until i buy a much better psu. If this one will last that long then it will have served its purpose.

Although when i look closer they charge $9.71 on top of the $19.99 price tag for a total of $29.90. So i am not sure. In most cases the item was sent back to the manufacturer to be fixed. But i do not know. The person does have a 97% positive feed back with over 807 items sold in the last year. But i am unsure. And there is only 1 so if some one else grabs it before i get a chance to order i'm just out of luck.

i just realized i still have like $7 worth of amazon gift card credit on my amazon account lol. $21.00 from $57.00 (that is me putting $50 for the cpu fan and psu plus the 7 already on my account) gives me about 36 bucks to use to get a decent psu. If i bump it up to $82 (adding another $25) that would give me 61 for a psu. But to be honest i don't really want to put out $61 when i plan to get a newer better psu in 6 months. I'd hate to just throw $36 down the drain as well but that would hurt me a lot less then $61. And what really sucks is my lack of knowledge on psu's.

I know that 80% of 400 is about 320w and 500 is 400w. 80% of 320 is 256w and 350 is 280w and 380 is 304w and my current system uses close to or about 300w so an 80% psu i would be pushing it at the 380 psu and the 400 psu. 450 psu would be 360w. So i'm trying to find the minimum powered psu for my system it be best to stay above the 400 right? Using http://extreme.outer...n.com/PSUEngine at 100% load it is 320w and at minimum it is 270w. So if that is right i would need above a 400 psu to be safe in case it reaches 100% max psu usage right?

That is my current system in a nut shell so what is the minimum psu i should be looking for? Am i right in assuming then that the minimum i should be looking for is above a 400 psu with 80+ certified? And knowing this how can it help narrow down the search?

phillpower2

Posted 27 September 2012 - 08:37 AM

Zolton33

Posted 27 September 2012 - 09:17 AM

Zolton33

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That one is $47.15 there is one seller selling new for 47.14 both have free shipping and amazon sells them new for $49.99 with free shipping as well. My question with this is simply would this handle my case fans a new 1155 mobo or am3+ mobo (in case i decide to go amd) plus a new cpu plus 2-4 sticks of ddr3 ram plus my current gpu my hdd usb devices and my optical drive And later a newer better gpu without having to put in a new psu? To be honest if i'm sinking $50 extra now on just the psu i want to be sure it will be a permanent purchase.

I never plan to oc or do sli/crossfire and the only thing the psu will be needed for is a mobo 1 optical drive 1 hdd the ram the cpu my case fans 2 usb devices and ram and gpu with maybe some ram and gpu upgrades and hdd upgrades in the future. I'm just wanting to know that if i'm putting that much money out right now that i won't need to replace it later to be honest if you can understand that. I'm on a low income (very low) hence why i'm trying to search for the best possible solution. If spending a bit more now means i won't need to down the road awesome. But i do not see me spending roughly 50 bucks or more for some thing i'll need to replace in less then a year you know?

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phillpower2

Posted 27 September 2012 - 09:51 AM

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Without knowing what video card you could potentially upgrade to I cannot give you a definitive answer, check out the screenshot below and you will see that with an i5 CPU, new MB, 2X4GB sticks of Ram, your present HD6450, 1X 7200rpm HDD and a DVD/RW would require 271W and so the Corsair CX430W would be plenty even with your additional fans, which do not use much power BTW, but add a half decent video card that costs less than $150 http://www.newegg.co...ID=3962334&SID= and a 500W PSU is the minimum requirement.

The best two suggestions that I can give you at the moment are either upgrade to a quality brand 500W PSU and cooling fan now or only replace the cooling fan now, see how that goes and if it works out ok leave upgrading the PSU until your budget will allow you to get the necessary, remember the PSU is what powers the heart of the computer and if it is weak the whole system will fall over.

phillpower2

Posted 27 September 2012 - 11:02 AM

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I did not suggest this particular PSU as I did not see an 80% output efficiency rating listed, having done further research I found the following two feedback reviews which both suggest the PSU is of high quality;

Pros: - Very Quiet, Large Fan- Antec Quality and Reliability, and 80 Plus Certified on the unit even though Newegg doesn't list it- Handles a reasonably powerful system

Pros: True 450W, 80%+ efficiency (although it doesn't have the certs), all the connectors you'll need (only 1 6 pin so if your card needs more than that for power it does come with a 6 pin to molex converter), very quiet, perfect fit for my Antec One case.